Name of Vessel:

John

Master of Vessel:

William Barass [Barrast]

Rig of Vessel:

Bark or Snow

Date of Capture:

27 November 1776

Place of Capture:

At 16°47'N, 46°31'W

Captor:

Massachusetts Navy Brig Tyrannicide

Home Port:

From What Port:

London, England

To What Port:

Antigua, British West Indies

Cargo:

Dry goods, assorted merchandise

Tonnage:

140

Battery:

Crew:

Owners:

Prize master:

Aaron Andrews

Prize crew:

Ordered Into:

Salem, Massachusetts

Into What Port:

Salem, Massachusetts

Date Arrived:

22 January 1777

Date Tried:

25 February 1777

Date Sold:

14 February 1777

Action:

Yes

Recaptured:

No

Comments: Massachusetts Navy Brig Tyrannicide (Captain John Fisk) was at sea in November 1776. On 27 November, at 0700 she sighted a sail to the west and chased. Shortly afterward another sail was seen to the north. At 1000 Tyrannicide came up with the two sail, which were laying to, awaiting the Tyrannicide. One of the strangers was the bark John, which fired a broadside into the Tyrannicide. Fisk fired a shot into the John, which immediately surrendered. Tyrannicide fired a shot into the other vessel, a ship, which also surrendered. Boarding parties were dispatched to both vessels. At 1200 Tyrannicide made her position as 16°47'N, 46°31'W.

At 1600 the boarding parties returned. The prizes proved to be the 140-ton bark or snow John (William Barass [Barrast]), outbound from London, England to Antigua, British West Indies, with a cargo of dry goods and “King’s Stores, English and India Goods . . . .” Barass had destroyed all his papers before he surrendered. The second prize was the ship Duncreath (James Crichton), bound from Pensacola, East Florida to Grenada, British West Indies. The bark was manned and sent off to Salem at 1800, under prize master Aaron Andrews. The ship was retained with the Tyrannicide, as Fisk thought her not worth sending in for condemnation.

John arrived in Salem on 22 January 1777, and was moved to Boston, Massachusetts on 29 January. John had trouble aboard. One of the prisoners, Robert Key, had stolen several articles from the bark, had attempted to raise a mutiny, and had attempted to kill prize master Andrews. Andrews put him in confinement, but thought that it would be better to send him ashore. Andrews petitioned the Massachusetts Council on 5 February 1777. The Massachusetts Council ordered Key sent ashore and to the Boston Goal. John was libeled on 13 February and tried on 25 February. On 14 February she was appraised at *1120 and was purchased for the Massachusetts Board of War.

[NDAR, VII, 311, 1024-1025, 1063, 1108-1109 and 1109 note, 1188-1189, 1197-1198 and 1198 note]

Posted 10 August 2011

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